Vein diseases

Veins carry the body's oxygen-depleted blood from the periphery back to the heart, where it is saturated with oxygen again. In order to be able to transport blood back from the legs against the force of gravity, venous valves play a major role - in addition to the pumping function performed by the muscles ("muscle pump") - to prevent the blood from flowing back.

If this valve mechanism no longer functions, the flow is reversed and the blood can no longer be transported efficiently to the heart. The superficial truncal veins, which are located in the fatty tissue rather than in the muscles, are particularly susceptible to such venous disease. In a healthy leg, the superficial veins are not visible; if the venous valves no longer close efficiently, the blood flows back into the vessel, which thus dilates and becomes visible as a "varicose vein". If the venous weakness also affects the connecting branches ("perforating veins") between the superficial ("stream") and deep veins ("flow"), which ensure that the blood is always directed into the deep venous system, the patient feels at the latest that something is wrong.

In Germany, about 25% of women and 21% of men suffer from a disease of the veins.

Therapies for venous diseases

• Sclerotherapy of smaller veins and spider veins (sclerotherapy)
• Laser treatment of smallest veins and spider veins with different vascular lasers
• Laser treatment of medium-thick and thicker veins and varicose veins with the endoluminal vein laser dilated and worn-out truncal veins can be closed from the inside by laser radiation
• Outpatient vein surgery: microsurgery with tiny incisions

All vein operations do not take place under general anesthesia but under a gentle local anesthesia. The so-called "tumescent local anesthesia" (TLA) is a low-pain regional anesthesia of the skin and the subcutaneous fat tissue, in which the veins are also located. With this gentle procedure, the surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis without significant stress to the body. The patient can get up immediately after the operation and is fully mobilized again shortly after the procedure.

Sclerotherapy

This method can be used to eliminate smaller veins and also spider veins (see pictures above). The skin above the vein is pricked with a very fine needle and the sclerosing agent is injected into the vein. As a patient, you will feel a short puncture and often a slight burning sensation. The sclerosing agent causes the vein walls to stick together, which means that the veins no longer receive blood and are broken down by the body. The sclerotherapy treatment usually has to be performed in several sessions to achieve an optimal cosmetic result. It is also very suitable in combination with laser treatment to eliminate the feeding vessels that cannot be reached by the laser and microsurgical vein surgery.

Laser treatment of tiny veins and spider veins

Fine spider veins, especially around the ankles, can be treated using various lasers (e.g. Gentle YAG laser). The effect is the same as with sclerotherapy. However, this method can be used to remove even finer spider veins or those arranged in nests. We will be happy to answer all your questions in a personal consultation.

Minimally invasive laser treatment of veins and varicose veins

In this surgical technique, the diseased vein is accessed through a micro-access of about 1.5mm and subsequently a thin probe is placed under sterile ultrasound control. The probe is pushed upwards in the dilated vein until the beginning of the diseased varicose vein is reached. A red marking light (pilot beam) reveals the exact position of the tip at any moment. Once the laser probe has reached the desired position (usually in the groin or popliteal fossa), the laser is activated and emits its light over 360° all around the vessel wall. By means of the generated thermal energy, the protein molecules of the vein wall are heated in such a way that they "shrink" and the diseased vein is "welded". As the probe is withdrawn, a precisely measured amount of laser energy is delivered that corresponds to the thickness and diameter of the diseased vein. This allows the diseased vein to be gently closed from the inside. The patient can leave the operating room immediately and go home the same day.

This minimally invasive procedure can also be performed under local anesthesia and without general anesthesia.

Advantages minimally invasive laser treatment

• almost painless postoperative course
• maximum patient comfort
• shorter treatment time
• no scarring
• Little to no postoperative bruising
• excellent medical results
• faster resumption of normal activities
• shorter incapacity to work